European Education Policies

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• European Education Policies
• Gaby Hostens
• 16th AEEE Conference
• Ghent, August 23rd 2006

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• Introduction
• A new era in educational policymaking in Europe
• A European area of education. A Europe of
  knowledge
• Education and training tools to achieve, to
  implement sectoral policies, f.e. employment,
  innovation, social cohesion, economic growth,
  etc.
• - Greater centrality of education and training

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• Maastricht Treaty (1992)
• G8 The Cologne Charter (1999)
• EU The Lisbon Summit (March 2000)
• Open Method of Coordination
• The Objectives Report (2001)
• Detailed Work Programme (2002)
• Benchmarks and Benchmarking
• Barcelona Summit (March 2002)
• Enhanced Cooperation in VET (Copenhagen Process)

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• 10. Key Competences
• 11. The European Indicator of Language Competence
• 12. A European Area of Education
• 13. A larger Playing Field for Educational
  policymakers

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• Maastricht Treaty (1992)
• a. A new treaty for the EU focus on monetary,
  fiscal, economic, budgetary policies
• b. Education (art. 149)
• The Community shall contribute to the
  development of quality education by encouraging
  cooperation between Member States and, if
  necessary, by supporting and supplementing their
  action, while fully respecting the Member States
  for the content of teaching and the organisation
  of education systems and their cultural and
  linguistic diversity.

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• Europes role limited !
• Contribute to the development of quality
  education
• Support and supplement actions
• Fully respect the responsability of the
  member states

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• Community actions aiming at
• Development of a European dimension
• Mobility of teachers and students
• Foreign language teaching
• Exchange of experience and information
• Cooperation between educational
  establishments
• ? Socrates programme - Erasmus
• - Comenius
• - Lingua
• - Grundtvig
• - Arion
• - Etc.

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• c. Vocational training (art. 150)
• The Community shall implement a vocational
  training policy which shall support and
  supplement the action of the Member States,
  while fully respecting the responsibility of
  the Member States for the content and
  organisation of vocational training
• Europes role limited !
• Support and supplement the actions of
  member states

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• Community actions aim to
• Facilitate adaptation to industrial changes
  through vocational training and retraining
• Improve initial and continuing vocational
  training
• Facilitate access to vocational training and
  encourage mobility of institutions and
  trainees
• Stimulate cooperation on training between
  educational or training establishments and
  firms
• Etc.

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• d. Subsidiarity in governance
• Whatever can be decided and executed at a
  lower shall be decided and executed at that
  level
• ? The Council () shall adopt incentive
  measures, excluding any harmonisation of
  the laws and regulations of the member
  states to contribute to the achievement of
  the objectives

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• Meeting of G8 The Cologne Charter. Aims and
  Ambitions for Lifelong Learning (1999)

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• The challenge every country faces now is how
  to become a learning society and to ensure
  that its citizens are equipped with the
  knowledge, skills and qualifications they will
  need in the next century.
• Economies and societies are increasingly
  knowledge-based. Education and skills are
  indispensable to achieving economic success,
  civic responsibility and social cohesion. The
  next century will be defined by flexibility and
  change, more than ever there will be a demand
  for mobility

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• Essential elements of Lifelong Learning
  Strategy
• - Early years
• - Primary education
• - Secondary education
• - Vocational education
• - Higher education
• - Adult education

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• At all stages emphasis should be given to the
  importance of creativity, entrepreneurship and
  education for democratic citizenship, including
  respect for the political, civil and human
  rights of all people, the value of tolerance and
  pluralism, and an understanding and respect for
  the diversity of different communities, views
  and traditions

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• Effective strategies to modernize education
  and training
• - Teachers are the most vital resource
• - Increased public and private investment
• - Modern and effective ICT networks
• - International tests to benchmark student
• achievement
• - Promotion of foreign languages

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• The Lisbon Summit (March 2000)
• a. A strategic objective for the next decade
• To become the most competitive and dynamic
  knowledge- based economy in the world capable of
  sustainable economic growth with more and better
  jobs and greater social cohesion
• b. An overall strategy aimed at modernising the
  European social model
• - By investing in people
• - By building an active welfare state
• - By combating social exclusion

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• c. Invitation to education ministers
• Undertake a general reflection on the future
  objectives of education
• Focus on common concerns and priorities
• Respect national diversity
• Report to the European Council in spring
  2001

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• 4. Open method of coordination
• a. Definition an instrument to monitor and
  follow-up on the implementation of commonly
  agreed objectives goal by spreading best
  practice and achieving convergence towards these
  objectives
• b. How does OMC work ?
• Fixing guidelines and timetables to achieve
  the strategic goal
• Establishing quantitative and qualitative
  indicators and benchmarks
• Periodic monitoring, evaluation, peer review
  as mutual learning processes
• European guidelines are translated into
  national and regional targets

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• OMC helps countries in
• Developing their own policies
• Sharing good practice
• Reviewing the outcomes of their policies

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• The objectives report (2001)
• a. General aims for education and training
• Development of the individual realise his
  potential and live a good life
• Development of the society foster
  democracy, reduce disparities and inequities,
  promote cultural diversity
• Development of the economy ensure that
  skills of the labour force correspond to the
  economic and technological evolution

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• b. Challenges for Europe in this decade
• Changes in working life
• Society, demography and migration
• Equal opportunities and social cohesion
• Enlargement (access of new countries)
• c. Ambitious agenda for education and training
  systems improved quality, facilitation of
  universal access, opening-up to the wider world

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• d. 3 strategic objectives
• I. Increasing the quality and effectiveness
  of education and training systems in the EU
• II. Facilitating the access of all to
  education and training systems
• III. Opening up education and training
  systems to the wider world

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• e. 13 associated objectives
• I. Increasing the quality and effectiveness
  of resources
• 1. Improving education and training for
  teachers and trainers
• 2. Developing skills for the knowledge
  society
• 3. Ensuring access to ICTs for
  everyone
• 4. Increasing the recruitment to
  scientific and technical studies
• 5. Making the best use of resources

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• II. Facilitating the access of all
• 6. Open learning environment
• 7. Making learning more attractive
• 8. Supporting active citizenship, equal
  opportunities and social cohesion

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• III. Opening up education and training to the
  wider world
• 9. Strengthening the links with working
  life and research and society at large
• 10. Developing the spirit of enterprise
• 11. Improving foreign language learning
• 12. Increasing mobility and exchanges
• 13. Strengthening European cooperation

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• Detailed work programme (2002)
• a. An ambitious agenda
• For the benefit of citizens and the Union as a
  whole the following should be achieved in
  education and training by 2010
• - The highest quality will be achieved in
  education and training and Europe will be
  recognised as a world-wide reference for the
  quality and relevance of its education and
  training systems and institutions
• - Education and training systems in Europe will
  be compatible enough to allow citizens to move
  between them and to take advantage of their
  diversity

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• - Holders of qualifications, knowledge and
  skills acquired anywhere in the EU will be
  able to get them effectively validated
  throughout the Union for the purpose of
  career and further learning
• - Europeans, at all ages, will have access to
  lifelong learning
• - Europe will be open to cooperation for
  mutual benefits with all other regions and
  should be the most-favoured destination of
  students, scholars and researchers from other
  world regions

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• b. A single format for discussions on each
  associated objective
• Rationale
• Key issues to be addressed
• Organisation of follow up
• - Timeline
• - Quantitative tools indicators to measure
  progress
• - Qualitative tools themes for exchange of
  good practice and peer review

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• c. f.e. Improving education and training
  teachers and trainers
• Key issues
• - Professional profile which skills do
  teachers need in the knowledge society
• - Professional development initial and
  in-service-training in a lifelong learning
• perspective
• - Adequate supply of effective teachers by
  making the career more attractive
• - Attracting recruits with professional
  experience in other fields

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• Indicators to measure progress
• - Shortage/surplus of qualified teachers
• - Number of applicants for training
• programmes
• - of teachers who follow in-service- tra
  ining
• Themes for exchange of good practice and
  organisation of peer review
• - Evaluation of training programmes for
  teachers
• - Conditions for becoming a teacher

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• - Inclusion of ICT, foreign languages,
  European dimension in study and
  training plans of teachers
• - Improvement of working conditions

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• Benchmarks and benchmarking
• a. Policy rationale soft pressure, moral
  obligation
• Open method of Coordination
• b. Setting benchmarks is
• a crucial, to monitor progress effectively
• a sensitive setting benchmarks
• and is highly political
• a difficult technically difficult
• issue

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• c. 5 benchmarks to be achieved by 2010
• - Early school leavers An EU average of no
  more than 10 early schoolleavers should be
  achieved
• - Mathematics, science and technology The
  total number of graduates in mathematics,
  science and technology should increase by at
  least 15 while at the same time the level
  of gender imbalance should decrease
• - Completion of upper secondary education
• At least 85 if 22-year-olds should have
  completed upper secondary education

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• - Basic skills The percentage of
  low- achieving 15-years-olds in reading
  literacy should have decreased by at least 20
  compared to the year 2000
• - Lifelong learning The average level of
  participation in lifelong learning should be
  at least 12,5 of the adult working age
  population (25-64 age group)
• P.S. No benchmark for investment in human
  resources !

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• Reaching the European benchmarks in the field
  of education would imply in 2010
• 2 million fewer young people would have left
  school early
• 2 million more would have graduated from
  upper secondary education
• 200.000 less 15 years old would be low
  performers in reading literacy
• 4 million more adults would participate in
  lifelong learning
• All students leaving school would be able to
  communicate in two foreign languages
• (from Progress towards the Lisbon Objectives in
  Education and Training. Commission staff working
  document, Brussels, 16.05.2006)

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• 8. Barcelona EU summit (March 2002) calls for
  further action
• - Introduction of instruments to ensure
  transparency of diplomas and qualifications
  (ECTS, diploma and certificate supplements,
  European CV)
• - Closer cooperation in the context of the
  Bologna process
• - Simular action in the area of vocational
  training (Copenhagenprocess)
• - Improved mastery of basic skills by teaching
  at least two foreign languages from a very early
  age establishment of a linguistic competence
  indicator in 2003 (sic !) development of
  digital literacy generalisation of an Internet
  and computer users certificate for secondary
  school pupils (ECDL)

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• 9. Enhanced cooperation in VET Copenhagen
  process
• a. The Bologna process paving the way
• Ante European higher education area
• - Lack of transparancy in structures
• - No quality assurance mechanism
• - No recognition of qualifications, credits
• Post The answer
• - Bachelor Master
• - Accreditation
• - ECTS

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• b. Rationale for enhanced cooperation in VET
• Current situation
• - Highly fragmented VET school- based,
  work-based
• - No transfer of credits
• - Uneven quality across countries
• - New providers
• The answer
• - Greater transparency of structures
• - Recognition of qualifications and
  competences
• - Minimum standards in VET

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• c. Work programme development of
• Tools to support transparency
• European Qualification Framework
• Instrument for credit transfer
• Criteria and principles for quality in
  VET

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• 10. Key competences
• a. Objectives report and detailed work programme
  
• - Numeracy and literacy (foundation skills)
• - Basic competences in mathematics, science and
  technology
• - Foreign languages
• - ICT skills and use of technology
• - Learning to learn
• - Social skills
• - Entrepreneurship
• - General culture

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• b. Key competences for lifelong learning. A
  European Reference Framework, November 2004
• - Key competences are crucial for
• Personal fulfilment and development
  throughout life (cultural capital)
• Active citizenship and social cohesion
• (social capital)
• Employability (human capital)
• - Key competences are
• Transferable applicable in many
  situations and contexts

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• Multifunctional can be used to achieve
  several objectives, to solve different kinds
  of problems
• Applicable across all levels of education
  and training contexts throughout lifelong
  learning
• - Overall definition
• Key competences represent a transferable,
  multifunctional package of knowledge, skills
  and attitudes that all individuals need for
  personal fulfilment and development,
  inclusion and employment. These should have
  been developed by the end of compulsory
  schooling or training, and should act as a
  foundation for further learning as part of
  lifelong learning

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• - List of key competences
• Communication in the mother tongue
• Communication in foreign languages
• Mathematical literacy and basic
  competences in science and technology
• Digital competence
• Learning to learn

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• Social and civic competences
• Sense of initiative and entrepreneursh
  ip
• Cultural awareness and expression

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• - Definition of selected key competences
  Communication in the mother tongue
• Communication in the mother tongue is the
  ability to express and interpret concepts,
  thoughts, feelings, facts and opinions in
  both oral and written form (listening,
  speaking, reading and writing), and to
  interact linguistically in an appropriate
  and creative way in the full range of
  societal and cultural contexts education
  and training, work, home and leisure

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• Learning-to-learn
• Learning-to-learn is the ability to pursue and
  persist in learning. Individuals should be
  able to organise their own learning, including
  through effective management of time and
  information, both individually and in groups.
  Competence includes awareness of ones
  learning process and needs, identifying
  available opportunities, and the ability to
  handle obstacles in order to learn
  successfully. It means gaining, processing and
  assimilating new knowledge and skills as well
  as seeking and making use of guidance.
  Learning to learn
• engages learners to build on prior learning
  and life experiences
• in order to use and apply knowledge and skills
  in a variety of contexts at home, at work,
  in education and training. Motivation and
  confidence are crucial to an individuals
  competence

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• Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurship refers to an individuals
  ability to turn
• ideas into action. It includes creativity,
  innovation and risk-taking, as well as the
  ability to plan and manage projects in order
  to achieve objectives. This supports
  individuals, not only in their everyday lives
  at home and in society, but also in the
  workplace, in being aware of the context of
  their work and being able to seize
  opportunities. It is a foundation for the
  more specific skills and knowledge needed by
  individuals establishing social or commercial
  activities

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• 11. The European Indicator of Language
  Competence
• a. Barcelona (March 2002)
• Action is needed
• To improve the mastery of basic skills, in
  particular by teaching at least two foreign
  languages from a very early age establishment
  of a linguistic competence indicator in 2003
  (sic !)

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• b. 2006 Council document
• - Context
• The need for reliable comparative data
  on the outcomes of foreign language teaching
  and learning
• The development of the indicator must
  fully respect the responsibility of Member
  States for the organisation of their
  education systems

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• - Terms of reference
• Testing of competences in first and
  second foreign languages Isced level
  2 (or Isced level 3 if a second foreign
  language is not taught before the end of
  Isced 2)
• Assessment of competences in the four
  productive and receptive skills listening,
  reading, writing, speaking). First round
  not speaking !
• - Advisory board

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• 12. A European area of education
• a. Driving forces who is at the steering wheel
  ?
• Setting the agenda
• Enhance ownership of European education
  policies
• Avoid a democratic deficit ! Involvement of a
  great many stakeholders

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• b. Subsidiarity
• Striking a delicate balance between
• - European soft law
• - National policymaking cultural and
  linguistic diversity
• Objectives report impact on national
  curricula, organisation of education and
  training, mobility of teachers, etc.

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• 13. A larger playing field for educational
  policymakers ?
• a. Greater centrality for education and training
  in knowledge- based societies
• b. New global players
• New providers of education and training
• New certifiers of competences
• Trade in educational services